Looking for a Long Rifle

[trsdbrown]

I gave my T/C Renegade to my son. I'm itching to buy a long rifle. Has anyone any experience with the Traditions Pa. Long Rifle? Can anyone recommend a good long rifle. Will use for deer in Pa.

Thanks in advance

 

[oneshooter]

Kit or finished?
Price range?

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Brillo]

I have a 50 cal. Kentucky long rifle flintlock that I bought from Cabalas a number of years ago. It's made by Pedersoli of Italy, and really well made. I've never had any trouble with it. It's a 1:48 twist barrel so it shoots short conicals and round balls well out to 125 yards. Cabalas sells the identical rifle in a percussion ignition model. If you want to shoot exclusively round balls get a rifle with a slow twist ~1:66 barrel. If you want to shoot conicals or sabot rounds, get a faster twist barrel like a Lyman Great Planes Hunter (1:32) for optimal accuracy. If you want to hunt large game like elk with round ball consider something larger than 50 cal. In some states like Colorado 50 cal is the smallest caliber allowed for hunting larger game during ML season.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat601141&hasJS=true

 

[Ed/Pa]

Finished rifle? Price Range?

I live in Pa.

Dont know where abouts in Pa. you live , but if your in SE portion I can recommend a good BP shop to go look at as many long rifles as you want and from any price range. The shop is located in Berks Co.
open 6days a week and you can handle the guns. Factory to Custom.

 

[Pancho]

Caballas sell an excellant long gun called the BlueRidge. It comes in flint and percussion. that gun is soo pretty that it's the only one I have on display in the livingroom.

 

[trsdbrown]

Thanks. To answer some questions. A finished gun 500-600 range. I'm in western PA.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Since you mentioned deer in PA, then we're talking patched round ball in a flintlock if you want to use the rifle in both regular and black powder seasons.

Well then the only long rifle you should consider is the Blue Ridge Hunter by Cabela's. It's made by Pedersoli for Cabela's, and previously was marketed by Hatfield under that name. It is rather generic, meaning the style isn't from any one "school" of rifle making styles, but they look fine and shoot well. I only shot mine using round ball.

I tried a Traditions, but I found the lock small and fragile. The Traditions is a prettier flintlock, but I prefer a gun that is sturdy as opposed to pretty.

The only reason why I don't have the BRH any longer is I went to a more authentic rifle from Cabin Creek Muzzleloaders. I wanted a very plain .54 with a single trigger and swamped barrel. They run just under $1000, while the BRH is under $600 so in your stated budget.

LD

 

[arcticap]

I've heard that the Traditions PA Long Rifle is an accurate rifle. But how that rifle (or any rifle) shoulders and fits the individual is always a consideration.
Track of the Wolf usually has an interesting selection of new and used guns for sale on approval which are worth reviewing on a regular basis.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(5zds0zzxifsu0y55yaydc3ve))/categories/catList.aspx?catID=12

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(5z...s/partList.aspx?catID=12&subID=83&styleID=290

They will even fit a TC with a up to a 38 inch Green Mountain barrel if that's what you desire.

Most folks rate the Dixon's PA muzzle loading shop highly for it's large selection. Maybe giving them a call will help you with some more ideas.

http://dixonmuzzleloading.com/

This outfit in Ohio is said to be pretty large too (but I don't really know what they offer and it may be too far away for you).

http://www.logcabinonline.com/

Lastly, check out the "limited time" sale prices on all of the Pedersoli guns at Cherry's.
There's a lot of nice models and one or more is bound to attract your interest.

Page 1:

http://www.cherrys.com/ped_rif1.htm

Page 2:

http://www.cherrys.com/ped_rif2.htm

 

[mrgrzeskowiak]

I use a P-53 Enfield Rifle for deer hunting. Very accurate, they go for about 500 new.

 

[trsdbrown]

Thanks to all for the help.

I tried a Traditions, but I found the lock small and fragile. The Traditions is a prettier flintlock, but I prefer a gun that is sturdy as opposed to pretty.

.

I got my hands on the Traditions today and I have to agree. The lock seemed cheap. The rear site is poor and overall the gun did not fit when I shouldered it. I'll head to Cableas in Wheeling and check out the Pedersoli.

Regarding sighting: I'm used to the T/C with elevation and windage adjustments. How difficult is it to adjust fixed sights

 

[Coyote Rider]

I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, but I moved out west a long time ago. I've heard some really good things about the Lyman Great Plains Rifle (not Hunter), which you can get in flintlock or percussion. It has a 32" barrel and a 1:60 twist, so it's made for patched balls. I have a Lyman Trade Rifle, which costs about half of what the GPR runs, and it's a great rifle, so I expect the GPR is worth looking at.

 

[Pancho]

I took a look at Cherry's website that arcticap offered up and I've got the frontier standard and love it but the frontier carbine gave me goosebumps. That long barreled standard can be a real pain carrying it through a thicket and since I hunt in Southwestern Ohio you and I hunt in the same kind of undergrowth.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well since you wrote longrifle, then we're talking about a minimum 38" barrel, and a full stock. The Lyman plains style rifles are great guns, as are offerings from Dixie, and Pedersoli has other "longrifle" models with short (35") barrels. Sorry, though, (imho) they don't fit the historic term "longrifle" with a barrel under 38". IF that's the look you want, you just don't get it with a shorter barrel.

NOW, if you can, get the Blue Ridge in .54. That's the lightest configuraion. A .50 works fine, but it is a tad heavier. The rear sight is a buckhorn style. I cut off the "ears" on my rifle's rear sight, so all it was was a simple square piece of steel. THEN I swapped the front sight for a thin, silver, front sight blade (Track of The Wolf). You can't get the best out of the barrel with one of those steel front sights, so swap it out. It's only a few bucks, and a little tapping with a brass hammer, and a little filing.

You adjust the front sight to sight her in. File off a bit of the front sight slowly, to raise the point of aim. Use a punch and drift the sight a bit right or left to adjust windage. I use 70 grains of BP and a patched round ball, and sighted mine in 3" high at 25 yards. It was dead-on at 75, and about 1" low at 100.

 

[ratgunner]

Pedersoli makes some nice ones in your price range,they make the Blueridge for Cabelas.Dixons has a better selection of Pedersoli's and better prices than Cabelas,also more helpfull and knowledgeable.

 

[Macmac]

Loyalist Dave The Blue Ridge looks pretty good so far as I can see it. The ram rod thimbles have a hole no doubt for the screw, but over all it looks nice. I wish they made that to shoot .600 rb...

Would you know if there are better pics on line?

Would you know which type springs run it? coil vs V

 

[Ed/Pa]

I'll 2nd Dixon's (that's why I asked where you lived). I imagine Dixon's in Berks Co. is quite a ways from you though?

I owned a Great Plains (Lyman) and took my 1st BP deer with it. But it is hawken style and it sounds you want a long rifle. I now shoot a 36" .50 cal Pa. rifle and for me it balances perfectly . I cut that gun down which was originally 42" lots of work , but it was worth it to me.
In general though I agree that 38" would be a fine starting length for a long rifle. I have owned a pedersoli (38" long rifle ) which was very accurate. The only reason I sold that gun was because it was a caplock. Like I said, Dixon's has just about every factory BP gun imaginable ,plus custom guns. Best shop I've found so far! It just might be worth your while to make the trip.......Gud luk in your selection. Here is a pic of my 36" custom
http://www.share.ws/links/50-cal-36-longrifle

 

[4v50 Gary]

If you want a long range rifle with any certainty of hitting at 500 yards, go with an Enfield. The Confederates found the Enfield to be the most accurate of all muzzleloaders and the shorter 2 band (33" bbl) one was reserved for the sharpshooter battalions in the Army of Northern Virginia.

A hit at 500-600 yards is possible with a round ball, but the certainly is much less than with a minie gun. I had an article published in Muzzle Blasts magazine about a 600 yard kill during the War of 1812. Martin Pegler cites it in his newest book on the American sniper.

 

[Macmac]

ED/Pa what is that long gun... What parts? That doesn't have the look of a factory gun at all, and if it is you pulled off some good tricks. At the very least it looks like a pretty good home build, with semi custom parts.

Also somewhere in PA there is a custom shop, that I stopped in during the early 90's. I can't recall the name and or where. I think I was on an interstate and some how knew where it was, and from the parking lot you could see the interstate.

That shop had custom guns and semi custom parts galore. It may have been some what north of Gettysburg, but I can't recall.

On edit: I searched Dixon's and they don't have much of a site .. too bad. Oh well in summer I will just have to ride down there and see.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Guys, I think when he wrote "500-600 range" he meant price range, as he mentioned PA for deer, and you have to use a round ball and a flintlock for that muzzleloader season.

Yes the Pedersoli uses screws and the ramrod thimbles to retain the barrel instead of proper pins. But, if you want you can use washers in place of the thimbles, and then add proper brass thimbles. I did it and used bedding compound to secure them instead of pins. I didn't mention it before as that is purely cosmetic. The barrel comes browned and the lock comes with case hardening rainbow colors. I removed both with a 3M "green scrubbie", and allowed a natural patina to form on both. Again a purely cosmetic modification.

The only other caveat is the Pedersoli lands and grooves within the barrel tend to be very sharp, and I had cut patch problems. So I lapped the barrel with pieces of green-scrubbie, then followed with 4-0 steel wool and valve lapping compound. After the patch cutting problem was solved, she shot very well, both round ball and conicals.

LD

 

[Ed/Pa]

Macmac.........The gun pictured is a TVM (tenn. Valley Mfg.) Pa. Iron mounted long rifle. It was a semi custom built. When I originally bought this rifle it had a barrel legnth of 42". I further customized it by cutting the barrel length to 36" reshaping the frontal area and re-installing the nose cap. The incised carving, initialed side plate, and spirled ramrod are all touches of my own. So for all intent and purposes I guess it's a full cutom now.

I use this rifle for Flintlock deer season here in Pa. and most people who see it really admire the gun which is great, but I did what I wanted to to make the gun fit my tastes and fit me. By the way...it's a real shooter!

There are quite a few shops in Pa , but Dixons IMO has the best selection. Chuck dixon having a website, is a step all unto itself. He is a Pa. Dutchman and that's new technology.ha..........His site doesnt really do justice to his shop or his inventory, and you wont find a more knowlegable guy on the subject. He was and still is an excellent shooter as well.

 

[Macmac]

I think maybe a FT Chambers in Chambers PA??? Is that somewhat north of Getty'sburg? This was what I hope I was trying to think of. Last I was there was in early 90 something.

That near any PA guys? I think at that time it had a sort of quasi fort look to.

They had very nice long guns..

Ed a looker alrighty... Shoots too huh :-(

If I had any money burnin a hole in my winta' pocket I'ld like a Jager in .62, and or a long rifle in the same, but I don't.

 

[Ed/Pa]

Macmac......chambers is near gettysburg. As for your choices........Next to a long rifle the Jaeger would be my choice , although i'd opt for something in 54 cal..........also consider a fowler smoothbore..lots of options with those .

If we only had an unlimited budget........